How aespa Dive Into The Multiverse On Their Armageddon Album

aespa have been redefining K-Pop and adventuring to new worlds ever since their debut in 2020, and that’s truer than ever now that they’ve released their debut full-length album,  Armageddon! Their past releases have centered on the digital realm and the real world, but this time, they’re exploring the multiverse and the idea of infinite possibilities with 10 show-stopping songs. 

Armageddon leans into the multiverse theme by showing us so many exciting sides of aespa, building on the hypnotic sci-fi world they’ve created and taking us into new territory. And we know it can be a little tricky to keep up with the lore side of things, so we’re breaking down how aespa have hinted at the multiverse concept throughout their past work and their debut album! Let’s synk dive right in. 

So, What’s The Multiverse?

The multiverse is the idea that there are parallel universes and different timelines than the one we’re living in, with endless possibilities. aespa has previously explored different universes on a smaller scale with their metaverse lore, which centers around their ae avatars and adventures in the digital world. 

aespa have actually been hinting at a multiverse for quite a while, even aside from their digital storyline! On ‘Girls,’ Giselle rapped, “meta universe exists, now parallel world, all beings have meaning, part of my heart.” And in the MY World era, which didn’t fully include the ae characters, the girls took on the role of pretty normal college students. Could that have been our first peek at aespa in a different universe?

[Armageddon] is about us going to the [multiverse] after Real World and Digital World, Black Mamba’s death, ae-aespa, and naevis disappeared. aespa who is active in the multiverse.

Ningning in the Armageddon co​​meback live

Have We Already Seen Different Versions Of aespa?

As we explained a little earlier, the MY World era might have been our first peek at a version of aespa outside of the ae and Black Mamba universe. They filmed the ‘Spicy’ music video at the University of Redlands in California, and the only reference to the previous storyline is a quick shot of Karina’s phone showing that she received texts from ae-Winter and Naevis. We did see Naevis in the ‘Welcome To MY World’ music video, but the video cuts off before we see her truly interact with aespa, so it’s unclear if it’s the same aespa that defeated Black Mamba with her. 

Meanwhile, leading up to the release of MY World, we got video teasers of a MY World balloon inflating over Seoul, Sydney, and Los Angeles. Since ‘Spicy’ takes place closest to Los Angeles, there’s a chance that other aespa variations live in Seoul and Sydney!

It seems like various objects in aespa’s world can be passageways to different universes, which we first saw in the ‘Black Mamba’ video when Winter is sitting by the mirror. This also comes up in the ‘Better Things’ music video, which includes a fish coming out of an air purifier and zooming through picture frames, then aespa stepping through their fridge into a plant-filled land. At the end, a quick zoom-out shows that aespa wound up with the fish inside a glass of water, hinting at yet another reality. 

The Drama era also hinted at some multiverse happenings, starting with the I’M THE DRAMA teaser video series. The teasers show “good” and “evil” versions of Karina, Giselle fighting with a friend accusing her of things she didn’t do, Winter attacking someone despite her softer image, and Ningning riding a motorcycle with a clone of herself.

We think the Giant teasers for the Drama mini-album could’ve been yet another version of aespa! Those photos show aespa being quite literally larger than life, effortlessly lifting planes and standing as tall as buildings in a skyline.

The ‘Drama’ music video starts with a warning message that says, “If your reflection in the mirror tries to shake your hand, do not let it,” which goes back to the idea of Winter accessing the metaverse through the ‘Black Mamba’ mirror and even the scene in an SMCU episode when Karina sees an evil version of her ae avatar in the mirror. 

Throughout the ‘Drama’ video, Giselle sees clones of herself, and Karina (potentially another universe’s Karina) sets aespa’s car on fire. And the maybe-clone Karina even gets in sword fights with the other members. The girls also seem to contemplate whether to save each other from falling off a building, which they’d never actually hesitate to do – some MYs believe the multiverse clones were the ones actually falling.

Stepping Into Armageddon 

There are several details throughout the Armageddon teasers that hint at parallel universes, or the duality and various existences of aespa. In Karina’s Superbeing video, she has a clone and starts off with two pupils in her eyes before they merge into one heart. Ningning has two different eye colors in her Superbeing video, and Winter has two different eye colors in the Launch Code video as well. 

Throughout the Armageddon rollout, we’ve seen the slogan “only I can define myself,” which we think ties into the multiverse concept as well. Even if there are different versions of aespa out there, they can still choose who they are in this universe. They won’t let society’s expectations or any other versions of themselves pressure them into changing who they are or who they want to be.

Many people say that our songs have an ‘iron taste’, but we tried to show a variety of musical colors in the included songs, from ballads to dance songs and modern pop genres. Through this album, the narrative of Season 2 of the worldview expanded into the multiverse begins, so I think that part is also special.

Winter at the Armageddon comeback showcase 

The multiverse concept not only comes up throughout the Armageddon album lyrically and production-wise (you can hear a lot of harmonizing throughout the album, as if multiples of the group were singing along with them), but also in the tracklist choices. Each song has a very distinct energy and sound different from each other, as if each track lived in its own universe or if a different version of aespa sang each one. And in the highlight medley we got before the album release, each song got its own CD, leaning into the theory that each song has its own universe!

As a result of the multiverse theory, it makes sense how many different sounds aespa explore on Armageddon, even if it doesn’t feel cohesive on your first listen. That’s how songs like the commanding ‘Set The Tone’ and the bright summer anthem ‘BAHAMA’ can fit on the same album!

The first b-side that we think really talks about the multiverse theme is the standout ‘Mine.’ The song discusses facing your fears during a dark time, and the way aespa describe these feelings sounds like they’re talking about another version of themselves. “A portrait that’s fake like a broken mirror, it feels like it’s slowly swallowing me,” they sing. Yup, back to the mirror idea again, and the “fake portrait” bit reminds us of having an evil clone. 

The way aespa sing the word “fake” throughout the song brings us back to how Giselle said it in her iconic “deep fake on me” rap verse from ‘Savage.’ Could that have been a multiverse reference as well? 

“The shadows that faded silently, mine
I’ll swallow even the darkness because it’s me…” 

The bittersweet ‘Prologue’ explores the frustrations of growing up, and it’s pretty grounded in the real world. But it’s aespa, so we’re assuming there’s more to it! We think the idea of there being all sorts of versions of you in the multiverse can make finding your own identity harder than ever, imagining your perfect self doing all sorts of things you’ve dreamed of. Somewhere out there, there’s a version of you that gets through what you’re dealing with right now. There’s a version of you with your dream career. There’s a version of you with your dream relationship. But there’s also a version of you who ruins all of that, as if there wasn’t enough pressure already.

In the end, aespa come to terms with the hard parts of being a young adult, instead choosing to focus on the present moment and what they can do to improve their current situation. 

“Therе’s no point in a predetermined map
One step at a time every day…” 

Armageddon comes to an end with ‘Melody,’ a sweet ballad that seems dedicated to MYs. But you can also take it as aespa celebrating different facets of themselves. Winter’s closing line is “the voice that connected us,” as if they’re speaking to alternate-universe aespa who share their voice, but not their full identity or life. That spin gives the song a duality that we totally love!

“Your voice in a world that just passes by
My eternal resting place…” 

‘Supernova’

As the first song we heard from Armageddon, ‘Supernova’ was a confident pre-release single (and the first title track) that set the tone for an unforgettable, avant-garde era! The song introduces us to a new version of aespa, probably from a different universe. They’re ready to take on the world in any timeline and look amazing while doing it. 

The ‘Supernova’ video is the first time this era that we see aespa take on different powers from what they had during the Black Mamba story arc – more on that in our ‘Long Chat’ analysis later! Here, Karina has super strength, Winter can fly, Ningning has fire powers, and Giselle seems to have some sort of technology or reality-bending powers. 

“The explosion inside me is so huge
Made from every cell of my stars…”

‘Armageddon’

The second title track of Armageddon is a chic combination of R&B and hyperpop influences, full of adrenaline but also effortlessly powerful. The song sees aespa stepping into their power and owning their confidence, which we love! And there are plenty of interesting multiverse references to pick up on in the lyrics, so keep your ears open. Throughout the music video, aespa dance alongside other people with their faces blurred or obscured by masks. The “authentic” scanners from the teasers appear in the video as well, as if the other dancers might be aespa’s clones from different areas of the multiverse. 

We also like how the alter ego line might be a reference to GOT The Beat’s ‘Alter Ego,’ which Karina and Winter were a part of. Could their GOT The Beat selves be part of another section of the multiverse?

“My alter ego, don’t block our flow
We never play nice, shoot
A perfect pair, you’re my identical soul…” 

The ‘Licorice’ Universe

Now, let’s move on to the songs that got a Universe video, starting with ‘Licorice!’ This track is all about aespa falling for someone in a “dangerous” relationship, in which they haven’t felt like this before. Lyrics like “it tastes so sweet but sour, oh, sugar and spice” offer some duality and kind of remind us of ‘Salty & Sweet’ from the MY World mini-album – maybe these two songs are in the same universe? We also think you could interpret ‘Licorice’ as aespa being drawn to darker versions of themselves in the multiverse rather than a romantic relationship.

The ‘Licorice’ Universe video shows aespa as superheroes of sorts, confronting an ice cream monster. Yes, girls, wage war against mint chocolate chip for us! It’s revealed that the monster spawned after they refused to eat a bit of mint chocolate chip ice cream. During their battle, the monster corners each of the girls and they wake up in a cozy dining room where the monster set up a little dessert party. They taste some mint chocolate desserts and ultimately decide they do like the flavor, then everyone becomes friends! 

“This is how I am, this is how I feel
I don’t even understand myself
I can’t escape it, this is gravity…” 

The ‘Long Chat (#♥)’ Universe

We always love getting a cute bop from aespa, and ‘Long Chat (#♥)’ fits the bill perfectly! On the surface, it’s a fun song about friendship and texting, but we think there might be a connection to the multiverse idea, too. The “Who cares what we think between us?” line sounds like it could be talking to a darker version of aespa, or embracing their dark side while still holding onto their light side.

In the ‘Long Chat’ universe, aespa are lovable nerds who believe a star has fallen down to Earth, then find a piece of popcorn where that star fell. Eventually, an entire cob of corn winds up in the same spot, and they decide its name is Cornelius and that he’s from a faraway place called Cornlandia. They experiment and find a way to send Cornelius back into space so he can get home! The end of the video breaks down each of the girls’ roles in getting him back home:

• Karina: Astrophysicist
• Giselle: Radio Astronomer
• Ningning: Launchpad Technician
• Winter: Flight Dynamics Engineer

So this is yet another version of aespa with different skills from what we’re used to! Throughout the Black Mamba storyline, Karina is a rocket puncher, Giselle has xenoglossy and portal abilities, Ningning is an E.D. hacker, and Winter is an armamenter. It’s also interesting that Karina is an astrophysicist when some astrophysicists study the possibility of there being a multiverse… 

The ‘Live My Life’ Universe

The final Universe video we’ve gotten so far is for the pop-rock anthem ‘Live My Life,’ which is all about taking control of your life and refusing to let anything get in the way of your dreams. One page of the Zine Version of Armageddon shows the girls’ video outfits with the caption “Rock Band Of The Year,” confirming that they’re really a band in the track video and the ‘Live My Life’ universe. We love that their love for music spans across so many timelines!

We’ll explain more about this idea shortly, but many MYs have a theory that aespa use different colors to highlight different universes and possibilities in their visuals. The ‘Live My Life’ track video mostly uses blue and green tones as opposed to some of the red tones they use elsewhere. And in the end, the version of aespa in that video is living a completely different life from what we’ve seen other versions of aespa in. By staying rooted in that life, they’re far from any metaverse challenges or Black Mamba battles that other versions of aespa are drawn to. 

“This is just the beginning, I’m in charge
I’m the protagonist of my own story…” 

The Red & Blue Multiverse Theories

One last thing to note about aespa’s multiverse concept is that there are visual hints in their color schemes! In the Matrix movies, the character Neo has the option to choose between two pills: a red pill that would let him understand the world and Matrix around him, or a blue pill that would let him live in blissful ignorance. The same imagery pops up in aespa’s ‘I’m Unhappy’ track video, when Karina is in a hospital of some sort and someone offers her red and blue candy. She chooses the blue candy and passes out after eating it, then chaos seems to ensue until someone offers her a red candy again.

At the same time, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning seem miserable while everyone around them is celebrating and having fun. Story wise, this might explain some of their feelings about returning to the real world after defeating Black Mamba. They’re still unhappy in the real world until Karina possibly eats the red candy, and they all start running to each other.

The last shot in the video shows Winter running alone in a blue-toned hallway, almost as if choosing ignorance (or “the blue pill”) isolates them. It then flickers to the ‘I’m Unhappy’ title in neon red, showing that choosing “the red pill” and understanding the world can bring unhappiness. Learning more about the world around them keeps aespa together and gives them a purpose, even if it’s difficult to figure out the mysteries of the multiverse. 

There are also a few more subtle references to the idea of the red pill vs. the blue pill in aespa’s past music videos. One iconic scene of the ‘Savage’ music video shows Giselle and clones of her wearing a black and blue outfit against a red background. Later on, Ningning is surrounded by negative emojis against the same red background, and Karina wears red and blue contacts in a room that’s magenta and cyan, which are the equivalents of red and blue in the CMYK primary color set.

Later on, in the Armageddon universe video for ‘Live My Life,’ Giselle picks up a video camera with red and blue stickers. Visually, the video leans more towards the cyan and green side, but there are still glimpses of red through Ningning’s hair, the stage they perform on, and the “recording” icon in the top left. The last shot of the video shows aespa against a blue sky, as if they’re staying on the ignorant side and not getting involved in any of the battles or drama we’ve seen in other aespa universes.

Speaking of drama, the ‘Drama’ music video also plays with the red vs. blue color scheme on a larger scale, with red being the era’s main standout color. One scene shows aespa dancing in blue denim outfits with red panels in the background. Even the makeup plays into the red-blue theme, incorporating bright red lips and blue contacts, while Winter has red hair.

The push and pull between the colors throughout the video might mean aespa is going back and forth between understanding the mysteries of the multiverse and choosing to stay peacefully unaware. But even if they chose to stay away from it, they’re drawn right back in because of their maybe-evil clones that appear in the video and the era’s teasers.

One of the most iconic scenes of the video shows aespa dancing in a parking lot wearing red while cars with cyan-tinged headlights circle around them. Could that symbolize how aespa are aware of the multiverse while others around them are unaware?

After ‘Drama,’ we’re back to the Armageddon album teasers! Ningning has one red contact and one blue contact in her Unknown concept photos, which appear in the Zine version of the album. She also wore this look in the ‘Armageddon’ music video. Remember the shot of someone’s eyes after the bridge in the ‘Drama’ video? It might reference how aespa are “waking up” to the reality of the multiverse, and can now see and understand more about the world around them.

The Find The Authentic teaser videos incorporated the red and blue color scheme as well, along with more gray-tinged scenes. 

What do you think of aespa exploring the multiverse? What’s your favorite track on Armageddon? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! 

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